Developing biotechnological solutions to enhance aquatic animal health and controlled breeding protocols for species of high commercial and ecological value represents a vital priority for mangrove ecosystems. Within this domain, the oral defense was held for the postgraduate thesis in the Master’s Program in Applied Biosciences with a concentration in Biodiscovery, presented by researcher Monica Adriana Rivera Jaramillo.
The research, titled “Bacterial isolation to evaluate probiotic potential on the survival of Ucides occidentalis larvae,” was conducted under the academic supervision of Alba Calles, Ph.D., with co-advising by Fabian León, Ph.D.
The examination committee was chaired by the Associate Dean of the Faculty, Ana Tirapé, Ph.D., alongside evaluating faculty members Juan Manuel Cevallos, Ph.D., and María Gabriela Maridueña, Ph.D., who commended the methodological rigor, microbiological isolation protocols, and applied relevance of the findings for crustacean aquaculture.
The study centered on isolating and characterizing native bacterial strains to determine their feasibility as beneficial probiotic candidates capable of boosting larval survival rates in the red mangrove crab (Ucides occidentalis). The findings provide clean microbiological alternatives to mitigate early-stage hatchery mortalities, offering sustainable substitutes to synthetic antimicrobials while supporting the conservation and management of this ecologically vital species.
